David Carpenter – SponsorDr. David Carpenter is the leader of the police surveillance robot project. He brings a strong background in research to the project, including research on robotic arms and NDT (non-destructive testing) robotics systems for the oil and gas industry. He was also a research fellow and professor in electrical engineering, electronics and computer science at the University of Bath and Coventry University in the United Kingdom. David has consulted worldwide on projects involving electrical machines and drives, medical systems, military systems and other electromagnetic device systems. He is the dean of NAIT’s School of Information Communication and Engineering Technologies.

Mark Archibald – Principal Faculty ResearcherMark Archibald coordinates the technical development of the police surveillance robot. A NAIT grad, he began teaching electronics at the institute in 1985. He has taught NAIT’s Electronics Engineering Technology robotics course, as well as robotics workshops for the Edmonton Space and Science Centre (now Telus World of Science). He has also developed competition-grade firefighting robots for NAIT Open House competitions. Prior to joining NAIT, Mark worked for 5 years as a research and development technologist, developing microcontroller systems for utilities and the telecommunications industry.

David Burry – ManagerDavid Burry supports the police surveillance robot project through his current role as the Manager of Enterprise Development and Technology Transfer with novaNAIT. His role is to identify and manage Applied Research and Product Development funding opportunities, and to create partnerships with industry throughout the development and commercialization of the robot. He also manages commercial assessment and feasibility studies, and intellectual property activities relating to project outcomes. As a previous Program Chair of the Electronics Engineering Technology Department, he initiated the Autonomous Sumo Robot challenge and facilitated the hosting of the First Lego League challenge at NAIT. David has 30 years of private and public sector experience in facilitating and managing industry-focused projects and activities.

Ricardo Lopez – NATO Collaborative ResearcherRicardo Lopez supports the police surveillance robot project as the Human-Machine Interface/Human-Computer Interaction (HMI/HCI) technical advisor through a cooperative effort with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). Ricardo's research interests include operator situation awareness and unmanned system levels of autonomy. Ricardo has worked with various tactical and strategic Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) while in industry; he is currently a senior UAS engineer with NATO.

Daniel Racette – Senior Technical ResearcherDan Racette builds, designs and tests the mechanical portions of the surveillance robot. Since joining NAIT, Dan has been active in mechanical design and prototype development, including design, modelling, rapid prototyping, laser cutting and robotic welding. In the past, he has worked as a specialist in 3D modelling and drafting for civil/structural and construction engineering projects in both the architectural and industrial sectors. He has also worked in fabrication and production environments, designing lift attachments and overhead cranes. Dan currently works in the NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre.

Richard Rusterholz – Senior Faculty ResearcherRichard Rusterholz provides technical advice for the police surveillance robot project. He has been involved in robot building, projects and events for the last 10 years, including starting the robotics elective in NAIT’s Electronics Engineering Technology program. Richard competed for 5 years in the Western Canadian Robot Games, finishing first in autonomous sumo wrestling in 2005. He has also worked as a high school physics and math teacher and in the computer hardware field. He joined NAIT’s Electrical Engineering department in 1990.

Maysam Saleh – Technical ResearcherMaysam Saleh is the project’s main technologist, responsible for implementing the decisions of the group. Maysam graduated from the Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) program with honours in 2009, and remained at NAIT to take part in the surveillance robot project. Maysam has always had an interest in robotics, and excelled in the sumo competition and navigational challenge pieces of the EET robotics elective. He was also a part of various other robotic projects at NAIT’s Open House.

Konrad Schmidtke – Technical ResearcherKonrad Schmidtke provides technical advice and assists with testing and troubleshooting the prototype robot. A graduate of NAIT’s Electronics Engineering Technology program, he spent a number of years developing applications for supervisory control and data acquisition, as well as commercial building control systems before returning to NAIT to teach the data communications and networking course. Konrad has been a part of research and development projects at NAIT since 2008.

Linda Tutt – Administrative SupportLinda Tutt supports the police surveillance robot project in the fields of clerical support, purchasing, planning and miscellaneous logistics. She also serves as the contact for project’s internal and external members and partners. Prior to her employment at NAIT, Linda worked as a junior and senior high school librarian. She is currently an administrative assistant for the dean’s office responsible for the School of Information Communication and Engineering Technologies and the School of Sustainable Building and Environmental Management.